GIGA GRANADA HILLS

Regarding the events of April 3, you may be saying to yourself: I understand what a Food Truck Fest is, but what is a Miniature-Miniature Golf Tournament? I'm so glad you asked. Did you know that there is a miniature golf course right here in Granada Hills? The VFW Post, which will be hosting the event, has a six-hole putting green on its lovely back patio. So we'll be hosting a miniature-miniature golf tournament there, with trophies for the winners in two divisions: adults (that's ages 13 and up) and kids (12 and down). But that's not all. Do you like to build things out of cardboard boxes, wood, Lego, Tinkertoys, Lincoln Logs, Erector sets, or miscellaneous whatnot? The VFW putting green is sadly bereft of obstacles. So a special prize will go to the winner of our mini-golf style Obstacle Building Contest! The pictures here are provided to inspire, but certainly not to limit, your creativity. Build an obstacle for the golf course, and bring it to the VFW at noo...

North Valley Aikikai is offering a self-defense class for women and teens ages 13 and up this Saturday, March 19 from 3-5pm. This hands-on class, taught by Lee Lavi Ramirez, 4th degree black belt, will cover fundamental concepts and simple tools for self defense. Fee for the class is $25. North Valley Aikikai 16901 San Fernando Mission Blvd. Granada Hills 818-652-5025

Here's a sample.

How, when, and by whom was it decided that the intersection of San Fernando Mission and Balboa should henceforth be known as Crazy Billboard Corners? First, the inscrutable advertisement for Hamer Toyota goes up, and now, a billboard that pinpoints the return of Christ as occurring on May 21, 2011. The Hamer Toyota ad, it seems, is intended to be a permanent fixture, but I'll be surprised if Save The Date stays up much past May 22. But then again, if all of the true believers indeed get rapturized out of town, maybe there'll be no one will be left to tear the thing down and replace it with a billboard for, say, Spearmint Rhino. Image from TheLatterRain.com The website the billboard directs us to puts the rapture at May 21 and the destruction of the earth on October 21, which means that the kids will be highly disappointed to learn they'll miss out on Halloween. But the good news is, this year, you don't have to feel guilty if you eat those bags of candy you bought...

COUNCIL DISTRICT 12 DINESH "DANNY" LAKHANPAL 163 1.98 KELLY M. LORD, JR. 536 6.51 BRAD SMITH 1,986 24.12 NAVRAJ "SINGH" SINGH 463 5.62 ARMINEH CHELEBIAN 301 3.66 MITCHELL ENGLANDER 4,784 58.11 In an outcome that was surprising to no one, Mitchell Englander, the oft-demonized Chief of Staff to outgoing Councilman Greig Smith, handily won the District 12 Councilman seat with 58% of the vote. Englander's formidable war chest, stoked by business donations that many feared would make for troubling obligations, by far outstripped that of any other candidate. Englander also had the heftiest list of endorsements, including that of the Los Angeles Times, The Daily News, and lefty Congressman Brad Sherman. Granada Hills Neighborhood Council Member Brad Smith, the second-biggest vote getter and the only candidate to secure the endorsement of the Democratic Party of L.A. County, brought in 24% of votes, not nearly enough to topp...

As of 9:21 pm, vote by mail results are favoring Mitch Englander at 4,784 votes with Brad Smith in second place at 1,986. The total of all alternative candidates is 3,449 to Englander's 4,784, which at this point means no runoff. And Dinesh "Danny" Lakhanpal's last place ranking means no monorail. Next GigaGranadaHills update will be tomorrow morning. DINESH "DANNY" LAKHANPAL 163 1.98 KELLY M. LORD, JR. 536 6.51 BRAD SMITH 1,986 24.12 NAVRAJ "SINGH" SINGH 463 5.62 ARMINEH CHELEBIAN 301 3.66 MITCHELL ENGLANDER 4,784 58.11